Lucy Barbour reports on calls from within the Nationals party for more female candidates following the party's poor results in the weekend's election. Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has pointed to the success of Nationals candidates, Emma Kealy and Steph Ryan, who won the seats of Lowan and Euroa respectively. Political commentator Nick Economou, from Monash University, argues the losses were the result of disunity within the Coalition. He doesn't believe there are likely to be implications for the Nationals in other state elections next year. Read more.

NBC Correspondent Sara James joins News Breakfast for her regular segment An American In Oz. This week, she gives us an insiders look at the mid-term elections, and explains why President Obama is struggling with his popularity.

A report into the death of a patient allegedly killed by another patient with a guitar at a NSW psychiatric ward reveals the pair were not checked for hours, with investigators told of an "entrenched culture" where staff sign observation sheets without seeing patients.

The EDO's Jo Bragg condemns Queensland's commitment to management of the Great Barrier Reef, as prescribed by the Federal Government's Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan. Environment Minister Andrew Powell says the government is committed to sustaining the heritage and environmental values of the reef and will harshly penalise rogue operators who seriously damage the reef. However the ALP's Jackie Trad says neither the state nor federal government has addressed the issues of climate change and the penalties for damage are 'window dressing'.

The passing of former prime minister Gough Whitlam is not just a day of mourning for Australia, but also for a region shaped by his expansive policies of outreach to Asia and the Pacific, regional leaders say.

Mr Whitlam has been remembered as a visionary and a giant of Australian politics following his death on Tuesday at age 98.

Mr Whitlam's diplomacy heralded new beginnings for China and Papua New Guinea, both now major regional economies.

"As the pioneer in establishing diplomatic relationships with China, Mr Whitlam ushered in a new era of China-Australia ties," the Chinese embassy said.